08-06-2017, 10:36 AM
Parker's Trainer: Hughie Fury Could Bring The Best Out of Joe
By Ryan Burton
WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (23-0) recently started his training camp for his September 23rd mandatory defense against Hughie Fury (20-0).
The fight was originally scheduled for May 6th but Fury ended up pulling out of the fight with an injury. Parker's team was able to secure a last minute replacement in Razvan Cojanu who was a former sparring partner of the Kiwi. Parker ended up winning a workmanlike unanimous decision in the first defense of his world title that he won last December against Andy Ruiz.
BoxingScene.com caught up with Parker's trainer Kevin Barry who said that they have had a great start to their second camp for Fury.
"Well we just have completed our first week of camp. It has been a very busy week. We have been training three times a day the first week. Look, we had a whole camp preparing for the Hughie Fury style and since then we have reevaluated it and even made changes for our second camp for Hughie. Joe and I feel very good about this training camp. There is real enthusiasm and purpose in this camp," said Barry.
"We are really excited about having our first fight in the UK. We have been trying to get there for the last 18 months. I think Hughie Fury is the sort of opponent who will bring the best out of Joe. We need a challenge. We need to explode on the scene in the UK. He is undefeated. I don't believe he is as battle ready as Joseph Parker but he is a young guy who is getting better every time he gets in the ring. He is well coached and has a great team around him."
Duco Events, who co-promotes Parker along with Top Rank, who won the purse bid for the original fight that was scheduled to take place in New Zealand. The rescheduled clash was agreed to without a purse bid and is slated to take place at the Manchester Arena in Fury's hometown in the UK.
Team Parker has wanted to fight in the UK for quite a while now with potential lucrative fights against the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tony Bellew and David Haye on the horizon.
With that being said, Barry has mixed feelings about facing Fury on his home turf especially after the fight was originally scheduled to take place in Parker's homeland.
"There are pros and cons for this. Obviously it is great for us to get the opportunity to get over to the UK and for Joe to display his skills in front of the audience we want to be in front of. The fact that we are going to be in Manchester, in Hughie's backyard, that will pose a few challenges for us. The crowd and supporters there have a great reputation of being pretty ruthless so that brings its own challenges. Joe's felt very comfortable in New Zealand and hence the first time the fight was scheduled to be in New Zealand and it was important for me to have the fight there so that is the pros and cons of it," Barry told BoxingScene.com.
By Ryan Burton
WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (23-0) recently started his training camp for his September 23rd mandatory defense against Hughie Fury (20-0).
The fight was originally scheduled for May 6th but Fury ended up pulling out of the fight with an injury. Parker's team was able to secure a last minute replacement in Razvan Cojanu who was a former sparring partner of the Kiwi. Parker ended up winning a workmanlike unanimous decision in the first defense of his world title that he won last December against Andy Ruiz.
BoxingScene.com caught up with Parker's trainer Kevin Barry who said that they have had a great start to their second camp for Fury.
"Well we just have completed our first week of camp. It has been a very busy week. We have been training three times a day the first week. Look, we had a whole camp preparing for the Hughie Fury style and since then we have reevaluated it and even made changes for our second camp for Hughie. Joe and I feel very good about this training camp. There is real enthusiasm and purpose in this camp," said Barry.
"We are really excited about having our first fight in the UK. We have been trying to get there for the last 18 months. I think Hughie Fury is the sort of opponent who will bring the best out of Joe. We need a challenge. We need to explode on the scene in the UK. He is undefeated. I don't believe he is as battle ready as Joseph Parker but he is a young guy who is getting better every time he gets in the ring. He is well coached and has a great team around him."
Duco Events, who co-promotes Parker along with Top Rank, who won the purse bid for the original fight that was scheduled to take place in New Zealand. The rescheduled clash was agreed to without a purse bid and is slated to take place at the Manchester Arena in Fury's hometown in the UK.
Team Parker has wanted to fight in the UK for quite a while now with potential lucrative fights against the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tony Bellew and David Haye on the horizon.
With that being said, Barry has mixed feelings about facing Fury on his home turf especially after the fight was originally scheduled to take place in Parker's homeland.
"There are pros and cons for this. Obviously it is great for us to get the opportunity to get over to the UK and for Joe to display his skills in front of the audience we want to be in front of. The fact that we are going to be in Manchester, in Hughie's backyard, that will pose a few challenges for us. The crowd and supporters there have a great reputation of being pretty ruthless so that brings its own challenges. Joe's felt very comfortable in New Zealand and hence the first time the fight was scheduled to be in New Zealand and it was important for me to have the fight there so that is the pros and cons of it," Barry told BoxingScene.com.